Content Marketing

Video marketing gives businesses the ability to reach customers through different channels, including email, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, and even voice calls. In fact, according to HubSpot research, 67% of consumers prefer watching a video over reading written content. But it doesn’t stop there. People actually spend twice as much time viewing a video compared to reading text. This is why video marketing is powerful. It allows you to connect with your audience and build trust. And most importantly, it increases engagement and conversions.

In 2022, video marketing will become even more important because of how people consume information online. Today, people use smartphones to access news, read blogs, and watch short videos. Tomorrow, they’ll do the same things while listening to podcasts and watching long form videos. To succeed, marketers must produce high quality videos that provide value to their target audiences. If you’re ready to take advantage of video marketing, keep reading. We’ve got some tips to help you along the way.

Video builds trust

Videos are great for building trust. They provide a quick explanation of something complicated. In fact, according to research conducted by eMarketer, people prefer watching videos about products and services over reading text. And, the longer the video, the more likely it is to be watched.

As videos explain things better, and help users understand what your companies offer, a video campaign will boost your Online Presence and give you a competitive advantage over competitors.

Creative animations help to build trust amongst customers. Subtitles are useful in explaining complex concepts.

Improves SEO

Video advertising increases engagement which leads to better search engine rankings. People spend more time watching video clips online than reading text articles. This makes sense since we tend to prefer visual information over textual data. In fact, according to eMarketer, YouTube alone accounts for about 40% of total internet usage. And it doesn’t end there. We are now living in a world where mobile devices are becoming our primary source of information. So, it’s no surprise that mobile searches account for almost half of all web searches. But what does this mean for you? If you want to rank high in search engines, you need to make sure your content is optimized for mobile.

Creates a return for your marketing investment

Video production costs have decreased dramatically since the early 1990s. This trend is expected to continue into 2020s. As video becomes cheaper, it is quickly becoming one of the most effective forms of digital media.

In addition to being easier to consume, videos are great for increasing conversions because they allow you to connect directly with customers. A recent study found that people spend three times longer viewing a video than reading about the same topic. And, according to Adobe, 60 seconds of video can generate five times more shares than 140 characters.

Don’t underestimate the value of video in your marketing strategy. It’s worth every penny.

Video drives traffic and purchases

Videos increase conversions and sales. They are great for branding and for lead generation. And videos should be part of every digital marketing strategy. But how do you make sure your video content converts into sales? Here are some tips for making it happen.

1. Use videos to tell stories. People remember stories better than lists of facts. So use videos to communicate your brand values and what makes you unique. You could even turn your blog posts into short videos.

2. Make videos easy to consume. People like to watch things that are shorter than 10 minutes. If you want people to watch your video, keep it under 5 minutes.

3. Include calls to action. Tell people exactly what to do next. For example, “Click here to learn more about our product.”

4. Create videos that work across platforms. Don’t just focus on one social media channel. Video works well on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

5. Test different formats. Varying the length and type of video can help boost views and leads.

6. Be consistent. Produce regular videos at regular intervals. This way, visitors know when to come back to see what you’ve got.

Engagement

Videos are one of the most popular forms of content online today. They’re used to promote products, tell stories, entertain audiences, inform readers about current events, and much more. But what makes videos so engaging? Why do they garner such high levels of engagement? And why does it matter?

Consumers prefer videos to reading text

The majority of consumers prefer watching video over reading text, according to eMarketer. In fact, the research firm estimates that nearly 81% of online adults are likely to watch a video advertisement versus read about it. This number is expected to increase to 87% by 2022.

Video marketing continues to gain traction among brands because it offers several advantages over traditional forms of advertising such as print ads and TV commercials. For example, videos allow brands to connect directly with customers and prospects while providing unique opportunities to engage with audiences. Additionally, videos provide businesses with greater flexibility in terms of how they reach potential customers.

In addition to being more effective than other types of digital media, video marketing is also cheaper than most other forms of marketing. As a result, many small businesses opt to use this type of marketing strategy to promote their products and services.

Today, there are multiple ways to produce high quality videos, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. However, you don’t necessarily need one of those devices to shoot a great video. With today’s technology, you can record a professional-looking video without spending thousands of dollars.

Videos play a large part in the decision-making process

Video marketing is one of the most effective forms of digital advertising because it helps you connect with consumers in a way that text cannot. Consumers are increasingly turning to video over text for information and research. In fact, according to HubSpot, 70% of people trust online reviews more than personal recommendations. And nearly half of consumers say they’re willing to spend more money to avoid poor customer experiences.

But while consumers are looking for ways to make decisions based on visual cues, many marketers still rely heavily on text ads. This makes sense since text ads are easy to measure, track, and target. But there’s no denying that visuals work better than words alone. A study conducted by Microsoft found that 90% of consumers find video more engaging than text.

In our experience, consumers don’t like reading long blocks of text. Instead, they’d much rather watch a short video about a product or service. Plus, video allows brands to provide useful information without being too promotional. If done correctly, video marketing provides value to customers and builds brand awareness.

Increase your online presence and strengthen your brand

How do you make sure your videos stand out among the competition? Here are some tips to help you start creating high quality videos that will boost your brand visibility and increase your ROI.

1. Choose the Right Platform

The first thing to consider when choosing a platform is what type of content you want to produce. If you’re looking to promote a product launch or event, look into platforms such as Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and Periscope. These live streams allow you to interact directly with your audience while broadcasting to a wider audience. You can even use branded hashtags so people can easily find your content.

If you’re looking for something more personal, YouTube is a great option. With over 2 billion views per day, it’s the second largest search engine behind Google. There are many different types of videos you can upload including tutorials, interviews, music videos, and testimonials. And don’t forget about Vimeo—it’s another popular platform used by businesses to showcase products and services.

2. Create Great Content

Once you decide on the platform, it’s important to think about what type of content you’ll be producing. For example, if you’re promoting a product launch, you might want to include images and infographics to illustrate your points. Or maybe you’d like to interview someone involved in the project to learn more about their experience. Whatever you choose, make sure your content is informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.

3. Be Creative

Establish yourself as an authority

We are now living in a world where everyone wants to be heard. In fact, we live in a world where everyone has something to say. As a brand, you must establish yourself as an authority in your industry. You must become the go-to person for your customers. And the best way to do that is to make sure that what you say resonates with your audience.

Video needs to serve a purpose. It needs to give your audience insight into your company culture, show off your products and demonstrate why your product solves their problem.

In today’s world, people want to know how others solved similar problems. They want to see how other businesses operate. They want to learn from other companies. So, if you don’t offer up some sort of solution, you risk losing out on potential sales.

So, how do you establish yourself as an expert in your field? How do you position yourself as someone who offers real solutions to real problems? Here are five tips to help you start building credibility with your target market.

1. Be authentic

People want to connect with genuine human beings. If you try to fake it, people will catch on quickly. Instead, focus on being honest and transparent. Showing vulnerability is another great way to earn trust.

2. Provide value

When you provide value to your audience, they’ll remember you. People love to share things that have helped them solve a problem. When you provide helpful information, people will feel compelled to share your content with their friends.

3. Share useful resources

You should always be sharing valuable resources. Whether it’s articles, blog posts, ebooks, or anything else, make sure you’re providing your audience with quality content. Repurpose these content into useful videos.

4. Offer freebies

If you want to build trust with your audience, you need to offer them something of value. Free samples, coupons, and discounts are all ways to get people excited about your business.

5. Answer questions

You can also use video to answer common customer questions. This helps you build relationships with your audience.

Search engines love videos

Having videos on your website will improve your rankings on Google. Consumers like watching videos on social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. And having videos on your site increases your chances of being found on those platforms. So why are you still relying on text ads?

According to Searchmetrics, video accounts for almost 25% of all traffic to the top 10 million websites. And it’s growing even faster. In 2017, video accounted for about 30% of total web traffic. By 2022, that number could jump to 40%.

And while most people think of YouTube when it comes to video marketing, there are many different ways to use video on your website. You can include prerecorded videos on your blog or landing pages. Or you can record live streams and embed them into your website. There are even tools that allow you to create short videos without needing special equipment.

As long as you keep your videos under 2 minutes, you won’t run afoul of YouTube’s length guidelines. But don’t worry—you don’t need to spend hours creating high-quality videos. A simple screen recording tool will do just fine.

Video is especially appealing to mobile users

Mobile video consumption is growing rapidly. In fact, according to eMarketer, consumers watched nearly 4 billion hours of mobile videos in 2017 — up 30% from 2016. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, people are spending more time watching videos on mobile devices. And while many marketers still struggle with how best to use video marketing, it’s clear that video is becoming an essential part of digital marketing.

According to Forrester Research, 90% of online adults watch some form of video every month, and 72% of those people watch video on a smartphone or tablet. What’s more, 67% of Americans say they prefer to shop via mobile device, and 60% of millennials prefer shopping on mobile compared to desktop. This trend is expected to continue into 2022, as mobile commerce continues to grow.

And since most shoppers spend about 20 minutes browsing products before making a purchase, video is an excellent tool to help you connect with customers. Consumers like to see what a product looks like, feel it out, and learn more about it before buying. They want to know whether the item will fit well, look good, perform well, etc. So, video is particularly useful for helping shoppers make smart decisions.

The average shopper spends $45 per trip, and 70% of purchases happen within three days of research. If you don’t offer video, you risk losing potential sales.

Video Encourages Social Shares

People like sharing videos, especially those that are funny. A study conducted by Facebook found that people shared videos twice as often as photos. They also liked watching videos about friends and family more than anything else. These findings led to the creation of video advertising—a form of advertising where you use video to promote something. Video ads are a great way to reach your target market because they are engaging and fun. You don’t want to just throw up a boring ad; make it interesting and entertaining. If you do, you’ll increase the chances of someone liking it enough to share it with others.

Story Telling Still Works

Stories are easier to digest than longer text or images. People prefer stories over other types of communication. And videos are great for storytelling. But there’s one problem — people don’t like reading long texts. So how do you make sure your audience reads your story? Here are some tips to help you tell better stories.

What is your experience on video marketing?

Share your experience.

Be Blessed by the Divine!
Krish Murali Eswar.

1. Shooting as much as you can and culling it later
2. Finding editing software
3. Finding equipment to use
4. Planning your content

Correct Answer is:

4. Planning your content

Why is planning for video marketing content important?

When I say planning your content, I mean that you need to have an idea of what you want to talk about in your video before you start shooting. You don’t just go out there with no plan or purpose.

You need to know why you are making the video. What do you hope to get from it? How will it benefit your business?

This way when you shoot, you already have a good idea of what you want your video to look like.

If you are not sure what you want to talk about then you may be better off hiring someone who knows more than you do.

If you are going to make a video for yourself, then you probably know enough to create something decent. But if you are going to make videos for clients or customers, then you need to think about what they would like to see.

How do you plan for ideas for videos?

I usually ask myself these questions:

• What problem am I trying to solve?
• Who is my audience?
• What do they care about?
• What do they dislike?
• What makes them angry?
• What frustrates them?
• What excites them?
• What do they enjoy?

These questions help me come up with ideas for videos.

For example, let’s say you run a healthy food company that sells whole food plant based diet. Your target audience might be people who are looking to lose weight. They might also be interested in eating healthier.

So you could talk about how to eat all you enjoy eating but in a plant-based way and yet lose weight. Or you could talk about how you lost 10 KGs by following a whole food plant based diet and how you gained health in the process.

Or you could talk about how your product helps people lose weight while still being able to eat delicious foods.

Or maybe you sell gardening products. Your target audience might include people who are tired of spending hours weeding their gardens. So you could make an instructional video on how to stop weeds from growing.

Or maybe you sell organic produce. Your target audience might consist of people who are concerned about pesticides and chemicals being sprayed onto food. So you could make videos explaining where your food comes from and how it was grown.

Or you can talk about how marginal farmers are being helped by enabling them to deliver their poison-free produce directly to consumers.

The point is that you need to figure out what problems your potential customers face and what solutions you can offer. Then you can decide whether to make a video about those things or not.

You need to know your audience well enough to understand what problems they face and what things interest them.

Who better to know about the problems your customers face than yourself?

Having said this, I would also like to suggest some specific content ideas you can try.

10 Video Marketing Content Ideas That Anyone Can Use

Video marketing has become one of the most effective ways to promote your products and services online.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, or blogger — video content is a great way to generate traffic and leads.

Let me share 10 video marketing content ideas that you can use to grow your audience and improve your sales.

#1. Create Videos That Answer Common Questions

People often ask questions about your products or services. If you don’t answer these questions, potential customers won’t trust you.

Create videos that address common questions such as:

• What does my product/service do?

• How much does it cost?

• Why should I buy it?

• Where can I find similar products?

• Who else uses it?

#2. Tell Stories About Your Products and Services

Stories are a great way to connect with your audience. They allow you to tell stories about your products and services in a unique way.

For example, you can talk about how your product helps solve problems or how your service makes life easier.

#3. Show Off Your Product Features

Show off your products’ features in action. For example, you can demonstrate how your product works using real examples.

This allows viewers to see exactly how your product functions. This will give them a better understanding of your product and encourage them to purchase it.

#4. Share Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are another great way to show off your products and services. People love reading customer testimonials.

They provide valuable information about your products and services. And they can help convince others to purchase your products.

#5. Record Live Webinars

Record webinars live with screen sharing software.

Webinars are a powerful tool for educating your audience.

By recording webinars, you can easily publish them later and share them with your audience.

#6. Host Interviews With Influencers

Host interviews with influencers in your niche. follow the influencers. Network with them. Invite them to host a show in your channel.

These interviews can be recorded and shared with your audience.

Send them samples of your products before the interview. Ask influencers about their experiences with your products or services.

#7. Share tips and tricks

Share helpful tips, tricks, and advice related to your products and services. These videos can be used to educate your audience.

#8. Share Stories About Your Life

Stories are another form of video content that goes viral. These types of videos are typically short and sweet.

They often include personal stories about life events, such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and vacations.

These kinds of videos are perfect for sharing on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

#9. Tell Personal Stories That Will Inspire Others

Personal stories are powerful tools for inspiring others. They allow you to connect with viewers on a deeper level.

People find themselves relating to the storyteller and feel inspired to act accordingly.

A personal story can be anything from a humorous anecdote to a heartfelt tale of triumph over adversity.

#10. Show Off Your Skills

Showing off your skills is another type of video content that goes well with social media platforms.

For example, if you’re a musician, you can play songs live on stage. If you’re a photographer, you can capture images of your customers.

Or, if you’re a good actor, you can record yourself acting out scenes from movies or plays.

There are plenty of other video marketing content ideas that aren’t listed here.

So what are you waiting for? Get started creating videos today!

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends!

Have you created any of these 10 types of videos? What do you think makes them go viral?

Let me know in the comments below.

Vazhga Valamudan!
Be Blessed by the Divine!
Krish Murali Eswar.

Video is the most important type of content you need to create and market on social media for your brand. It doesn’t matter if it’s video on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

If you’re not using these platforms, you’re missing out on an enormous audience.

Did I scare you a bit? Don’t worry. I will walk you through what you need to do succeed in video marketing today. Continue reading the article.

YouTube Videos are Libraries of Content

Let’s begin with the obvious, the grandfather of video online: YouTube (also known as Google Video). Here is why I won’t be drilling down on strategy specifically for YouTube in this article: I know, you’re already skeptical, but hear me out. YouTube is massive. I’m not denying that. It’s a library of video content. Just imagine this: 300 hours worth of video content being pushed to YouTube every minute! But if you’ve ever watched any of those videos, you’ll notice something interesting about them: They’re not entertaining. That’s because they’re made with no care, no attention paid to how people watch and interact with video online. And that’s what we’re going to fix today. Some of you may have a video channel on YouTube. Go and watch your videos dispassionately. See how boring they are. I am not saying they don’t have content worth watching. But, they are boring. Not just boring, mind-numbingly dull.

However, the issue with YouTube is that it has been losing its share of traffic to Facebook and Instagram. Yet, with time, however, the number of videos streamed on YouTube is expected to increase significantly.

Due to its sheer volume, there’s an overwhelming amount of competition amongst videos on Youtube. When you have a channel with over one billion users, all wanting exposure, it’s going to get crowded. Marketers love attention. Everyone is trying to get a eyeball attention in YouTube. And…. they have ruined it. Perhaps, you have added some content of your own that have received 100, 200, or 300 views. It is nothing to boast about, is it?

Furthermore, it has no capabilities of other growing video platform, and so far, there hasn’t been any sign of them catching up.

“What exactly are those capabilities other social media sites have?” You might ask.

So, here’s what we know for sure: data. And the leader there is, without a doubt Facebook.

Videos on Facebook are good for everything: smart, shareable, and personal

With Facebook videos becoming the best way to reach people at scale, coupled with their new ability to sell ads directly to them, Facebook now offers an even better platform for marketers to create engaging content.

It makes sense if you think about it. If you’re making videos exclusively for YouTube, but aren’t sharing them on Facebook too, then you’re missing out on potential exposure. There’s no question about it.

And I don‘t mean cross channel promotion via posting links to YouTube videos on your Facebook wall as status updates. I mean uploading the videos natively to Facebook, not just linking them. Why? Because Facebook’s algorithm loves videos. Facebook knows people are consuming videos 10x more than other forms of content on it’s social media platform. YouTube is their direct competition. Why would it want to show a YouTube crosslink posted on Facebook to their users?

YouTube should honestly be worried; Facebook is already on their way to being a huge competitor when it comes to online video marketing and content distribution platforms. They’re sitting on an enormous amount customer data. It creates the perfect marketing machine. For example let’s say you upload a video naturally, like I mentioned earlier, about a plant-based receipe. You can then spend money on a promoted video to directly market your product to people who 1) enjoy eating vegan and healthy food and 2) reside in your area and 3) have some kind of sickness such as diabetes. Automatically, you’re reaching the audience who is the most interested and profitable to you. Is this not great? Facebook is not wasting your time and money. You are truly able to reach your target customers who will be interested in what you have to offer

You now have the ability to target audience like you’ve never seen them before in digital platforms. Have you not already experienced the power of facebook platform? I must add here that Instagram is catching up with Facebook since they are both highly integrated and owned by the same company.

And Facebook has recently added new features that suggest they’re increasing their focus on video: view counts, embeds, and video for website conversion. So there’s more coming soon.

Videos on Twitter are for engagement (direct, social, real).

While Twitter’s new product may not be perfect, it does change how we use the platform. Video on twitter really is social and the best use of Twitter video is by connecting with and engaging people, rather than simply pushing. As Twitter has increased in size, it‘s become a listening platform, where six years ago, I could share a message and get more engagement on my original post than I can now. I used to have fewer followers, but they were paying closer attention. It felt more serious. Now, the amount of information and people on that platform has gotten too much for me to get the same level of engagement. It’ s hard to get any one person’s attention.

That’s one reason why the game, the best way to win with Twitter videos, is by engaging people through them.

People respond to effort. When someone you respect follows you, you feel great. You know they read what you wrote because they liked something you posted. But it’s not just about the number of followers you have; it’s about how much attention they paid to your posts. Their choice to follow you means they took notice of what you had to say. That simple act of engagement gives you an emotional boost.

Twitter has taken their live streaming experience to the next level by introducing videos.

All you have to say is “Hey, I’m @username and I’d love to talk about your project.” Then, click the button below to send them an email. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

You could add a little context to your tweets. For example, if you’re talking about something funny, include a link to the source material so people can watch it. Or, if you’re having an important conversation, make sure everyone knows who you’re talking to.

You can spend 15 seconds thinking about yourself or you can think about someone else. Which would you choose? That’s right, you chose someone else! So why not make it easy for them and give them 15 seconds of your attention?

People say they love Twitter videos because they give them something we haven’t seen before – personalized time. We get to see how our friends spend their time. We can watch them interact with each other. We can learn things about ourselves. We can learn about others.

Lastly, Snapchat.

Snapchat is huge right now

According to Pew Research Center, more than 60 percent of 13 to 34 year-olds who own smartphones use Snapchat.

They now have more videos viewed per day than YouTube has ever had before.

There are some interesting things about Snapchat as an app when it comes to how its working.

Because Snapchat requires you to touch the screen when viewing a video, it keeps you focused on the content.

It’s not just one of the few platforms where you can create creative content on top of videos; it’s also one where you can create creative art on top of videos.

Videos have a maximum lifetime of 24 hours, or less if your user decides to make it so. They can last anywhere between one second and an hour. Urgency to view something before it vanishes can be a huge motivator. Many marketers started their career on Snapchat by sending people screenshots of snaps they should take before they vanished. Users responded to that urgency.

And now, marketers have gotten really serious about Snapchat as an advertising platform due to some key changes they’ve made. Previously, the only way to get your brand into the app was through paid promotion. But now, brands can actually create their own channels and start sharing sponsored stories directly within the app itself. Currently, 11 partners have signed up to participate. That means that brands can now put their ads right next to actual videos from those publishers. It’s a big move for the company, and one that could potentially make them a lot of money.

With Snapchat, brands can now target the thirteen to thirty-five demographic by having an ad pre-roll before the user watches the content.

While you might not be able to afford their premium service, just knowing that these large brands and media companies are signing up for Snapchat tells you something. Teens use Snapchat every single day and night, so you need to start talking to them on it.

Are you impressed?

Whether your answer to this question is a yes or no, you should not miss out on this huge demographic because you do not understand them. If you want to know, you must go into the field. Get yourself a copy of Snapchat. Try it out. See what happens. Learn about it.

Facebook is becoming TV’s competitor

Bottom Line: There is a lot happening in video right now, but it’s the number one way to reach your target audience. Every platform uses video differently and has its own social context that needs respect and consideration. Put in the time, effort, and resources necessary to create the content that will move your business forward.

I’m not saying you should give your entire business to Instagram. It’s still very relevant and important. But, if you’re creating content for Instagram, then also create content for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, and any other social site where people might find value in your work. Don’t be afraid to share your videos there! And, if you’re creating videos for YouTube, then also make sure to post the same content in all other social media.

And let’s not forget: Competition breeds innovation. I hope Youtube gets scared a little here, I hope google is paying attention. It may lead to better quality innovation emerging from youtube. They’ve been pretty stagnant for a half decade, and now these disruptors will force them. I’ve mentioned all of the above without even going into the brand new world of live streaming. The bottom line is that video is king right now; it’s still evolving and changing rapidly. We’re living that. And Facebook Video is being grossly underestimated. Don’t get left behind. Get into it.

Have you gotten into Video marketing on social media? What is your experience?

Share your social media channel here. I will be happy to take a look at it and send you a free review of it.

What are your struggles of video marketing? Share your comment below.

Vazhga Valamudan!
Be Blessed by the Divine!
Krish Murali Eswar.